Pac-12 football season to begin with 9 a.m. Arizona State vs. USC game
The 2020 Pac-12 football season will officially begin on Nov. 7, and it will do so much earlier than usual.
Earlier in the day that is.
Arizona State’s trip to USC will be the conference’s first game of the year, and it will kick off at 9 a.m. locally, allowing it to occupy Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff” slot.
SUN DEVILS. TROJANS. ON FOX. 🔱✌️
Oh, and #BigNoonKickoff will be there! pic.twitter.com/8l0BWM2QQM— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 3, 2020
The idea of morning kickoffs was explored — and ultimately tabled — by the conference last year. “Pac-12 After Dark” has become a staple of every college football Saturday, but those late-night games can be a logistical nightmare for schools, especially with travel. In recent years, coaches have been vocal about how tough it can be on the players to be the visiting team for a game that starts later in the night. Games extending deep into the night can also be difficult for fans.
With that in mind, Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott said last summer that the league had conversations with Fox about having some games at 9 a.m. PT to gain some visibility on the other side of the country. At the time, some coaches were OK with the idea while others opposed it, including Stanford’s David Shaw.
Ultimately, the idea was tabled for the 2019 season but the concept has lingered among conference and network executives with an eye to the 2020 season. Before the pandemic hit, the Pac-12 had a few marquee, early season matchups against Big Ten opponents that were up for discussion. Instead, it will be two of the leading contenders for the Pac-12 South crown.
Details of full Pac-12 schedule
The 9 a.m. start was the headline grab for the conference before it unveiled its full 2020 slate. Pac-12 teams will play seven-game schedules culminating with the Pac-12 title game on Friday, Dec. 18. Like the Big Ten, there will be a full slate of Pac-12 games the weekend the title game is played.
Each team will play five divisional games and one crossover game against a team from the opposite division. The conference said details for the seventh-game matchups “will be determined in the near future.” Updated tiebreaker procedures for determining the division champions and title-game participants “will be finalized in the near future.”
The Pac-12 title game will be held at the stadium of the division champion with the better record. The game was scheduled to be played at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, but that arrangement will now begin with the 2021 season.
The conference arranged the schedule to hold all North division rivalry games on the Friday of Week 4 of the schedule, Nov. 27. The South division rivalry games will be held in Week 6 (Dec. 11-12).
The schedule has eight Friday games in all. The road team for Friday games will have a home game the previous week.
“The schedule announced today is highlighted by exciting and tough matchups that will showcase the depth of our conference and position our teams well for CFP consideration and postseason bowl opportunities,” Scott said. “Importantly, our return to football competition will continue to place the health and safety of our student-athletes and all those connected to Pac-12 football as the highest priority.”
Week 1 (Nov. 7)
Arizona at Utah
Arizona State at USC
Stanford at Oregon
UCLA at Colorado
Washington at Cal
Washington State at Oregon State
Week 2 (Nov. 14)
Utah at UCLA (Nov. 13)
Cal at Arizona State
Colorado at Stanford
Oregon at Washington State
Oregon State at Washington
USC at Arizona
Week 3 (Nov. 21)
UCLA at Oregon (Nov. 20)
Arizona at Washington
Arizona State at Colorado
Cal at Oregon State
USC at Utah
Washington State at Stanford
Week 4 (Nov. 28)
Oregon at Oregon State (Nov. 27)
Stanford at Cal (Nov. 27)
Washington at Washington State (Nov. 27)
Arizona at UCLA
Colorado at USC
Utah at Arizona State
Week 5 (Dec. 5)
Washington State at USC (Dec. 4)
Colorado at Arizona
UCLA at Arizona State
Stanford at Washington
Oregon at Cal
Oregon State at Utah
Week 6 (Dec. 12)
Arizona State at Arizona (Dec. 11)
Utah at Colorado (Dec. 11)
Cal at Washington State
Oregon State at Stanford
USC at UCLA
Washington at Oregon
Week 7 (Dec. 19)
Pac-12 championship game (Dec. 18)
TBD at TBD
TBD at TBD
TBD at TBD
TBD at TBD
TBD at TBD
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